Hope and Hunt
by Simlead
Summary: A multi-chapter Easter story stemming from a discussion on Gateworld. Fluffy and mostly family-related. Rated T for safety. It's Easter again, but Sam decides that enough is enough - the family will have to hunt for eggs and hope for the best. I own nothing.
1. The Chocolate Cover-Up

Sam eyed the row of Easter Eggs before her, taking in the various brands and attempting to connect them to each member of the family. Even gate travel _and_ motherhood had neglected to prepare her for her family's different preferences. And all that time spent filing it away in her mind would be wasted the following day, when the children (including Jack) would devour them without a moment's hesitation.

_Too easy... Just too easy, _she thought to herself, as a grin crept up on her. Then the thought struck her. _An egg hunt. An egg hunt will be just perfect._

* * *

"And...twenty," the Airforce General smiled, placing the last Easter egg in hiding. She waded back through the long grass behind the family home calling as she went. "Jack! Alyssia! Tara! Cameron!"

"Hey, how come I'm last?" a tiny voice emanated from the glass doors before her. An equally-sized body joined it, racing up to her and wrapping its arms around her leg.

"Sorry, Cam. You're just as important to me," she beamed and swept the child up into her arms. "Where's Daddy?"

"He's in the living room. He told me to one and get you. What you doing?" Cameron Carter eyed his mother, and she caught a glimpse of his father within him. Meanwhile, the two eldest her children came running out into the yard.

"I actually have a surprise for you all," she winked at him, before placing him back on the ground as she joined her children on their father.

* * *

Alyssia O'Neill, at 8 years old, was the joint-eldest of the pack, and her hair had adopted a soft, light caramel colour to her hair and the promising beginnings to her mother's immense intelligence.

Her twin, who was born only minutes later, donned a rich brown that led people to assume Sam had either had an affair or the two of them were from a previous marriage. Tara was the family's little racer - they'd even had the scientists at the base create a little racing car for her seventh birthday.

Last, but certainly not least, there was Cameron Carter, the only one of three to take on Sam's surname. Four months after the girls' second birthday, Sam had realised she'd become pregnant again. The conversation had gone something like this:

_"This one's going to be a Carter. It might escape my family curse."_

_"Your family has a curse?"_

_"Of course, Sam. It's called stupidity."_

And it must have succeeded, because Cam was curious about everything. About spies, about guns, about secrets. The two sometimes wondered if their son would be curious about the Stargate...

* * *

"What's this I hear about a surprise, General Carter?" Jack asked, trying to imitate her usual firm, authoritative tone, but found that it was hindered by the irresistible urge to smirk. "And where's the chocolate? Have you any idea how much I was looking forward to the only weekend when there's an all-you-can-eat that's purely chocolate?"

"Don't worry, the Easter bunny didn't forget to bring them," she laughed. "In fact, Easter Bunny left me a note when I got up really early this morning. Do you want to read it, Lyss?"

"Sure, Mummy," she smiled, and took the small slip of paper from her mother's hand. "_Dear Alyssia, Tara, and Cameron_-"

"-Gee, I'm last again-"

"-_you've been so good this year that I decided to give you a little game to play. I left_ _twenty Easter eggs scattered around your land. Find them and they're yours! Love from the Easter Bunny! _We're going on an egg hunt!" Alyssia's face was a picture of glee.

"Yep," Sam nodded, pride flourishing inside her at her little scheme's success. She then bent down and whispered to all three youngsters. "And I think he left some baskets for you under the kitchen table."

"Wow," Jack muttered as they sped off indoors. "Must've taken ages. Speaking of long periods of time, I've suffered too long without my morning kiss. C'mere," he beckoned her closer, and placed a gentle yet passionate kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, his heart jumped at the sight of her smile. Even after nearly ten years of marriage, their touch still sparked a cascade of emotion in their other half.

"Come on, we've got eggs to hunt!" Tara yelled into the morning, zipping past them and towards the unused woods that laid behind their home. Jack and Sam exchanged a sideways glance, then set out to follow her, rest of the family in tow. It could, quite possibly, be the most interesting Easter they'd ever had.


	2. Falling Down

**A/N: I originally intended this to be just cute and a little fluffy, but I couldn't resist adding this in. You'll see what I mean as the story goes on. And this will probably be the only/one of he few author notes in the story. Thanks for reading!**

Giggles erupted from the family treading through the woods, only to heighten when a small thud sounded from the undergrowth.

"Daddy, get up!" Tara snorted, skipping ahead of her fallen father. Groaning, Jack pushed himself to his feet.

"I'm getting too old for this," he shook his head, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"But not too old for racing Tara?" she raised an eyebrow. He hesitated for a second then nodded. This elicited a chuckle from Sam, and she turned back to their children, who had ironically formed a team, splitting up to cover more ground.

_A miniature SG-1, perhaps? _Sam mentally mused. _They'd only need one more member..._

"No, we're not having another," Jack said, dragging her from her thoughts.

"I didn't _just _think that, did I?" she queried, cringing a little at the idea of her speaking those words aloud.

"No, the Easter Bunny decided to pop in and impersonate you."

"Ah. I didn't mean it like that, anyway. I would never make you go through what happened when we had Cam, not again," she soothed him, offering a smile at the pain and grief displayed in his eyes. "Not ever."

* * *

_"Sam, look out!" she saw the threat before she heard his cry. But it was too late. Sam's world was filled with pain, and Jack's with grief. He abandoned his post. It didn't matter anymore, nothing did. Just Sam, and their baby. His baby. And no child of his would be neglected by its father._

_"Jack... Need to... Infirmary..." she choked out, blood splattering as carelessly as children's paint over her lips. He pulled her to her feet with desperation, and struggled to dodge the crossfire that echoed through the corridors. "Don't forget... Not your fault..."_

_"Yes," he nodded. "Yes, it is my fault. I commanded that team, not you, they're brought back one of worst pains in the back end this universe has to offer. So, yeah, you can blame me."_

_"Not just that... Is it?"_

_"Carter, stop talking, please," he breathed. He hadn't called her Carter since their wedding night._

_"No!" she protested, determined to use her last few breaths of air to tell her husband what he needed to know. "Listen... Not your fault... I would've done same... Love you..."_

* * *

_"I told you not to have this baby. I specifically told you, when she was discharged," the IOA representative's disgusted, haughty expression deepened as Jack laced the arm that wasn't holding his new born son around a still-trembling Sam._

_"Wouldn't be the first time you tried to stop us doing something, would it?" Jack shot a contemptuous glare at the man, before turning his concerned gaze back to his little family._

_"I despise you, but I didn't want to stop you having children. No, I'm just part of the many that think a supernatural baby is one step too far for the SGC's Romeo and Juliet," he spat._

_"Well, maybe if you'd told us why we couldn't have him, then..." he halted as he saw he IOA standard needle pierce their son's arm..._

* * *

A hand gliding along Sam's arm dragged her back to reality. She blinked and turned to see Jack, gazing intently at her.

"You were...distracted," he told her.

"I was thinking about Cam," she sighed, suddenly finding the ground incredibly interesting.

"It'll be alright. Like it's ever going to happen _again_! Look, he's fine," Jack waved a hand in the direction of their youngest child, who swung around a tree only to come out the other side clutching an egg with a blue wrapper. "See? You know, I think they might not find them in time. Maybe they need a little help?"

"Jack! You're not seriously thinking of stealing their chocolate, are you?" Sam burst into a fit of laughter, while any signs of her previous anxiety melted away from her features.

"Stealing is such a strong word. I prefer 'showing them how to share' or 'teaching them down unfortunate side to life'. I'll just join in and...take what's rightfully mine. They won't notice a thing," he declared. Then, before anyone could've stop him, he dove towards his children. Little squeals rose up from where he'd landed.

"Ah, Daddy!" Alyssia yelped, struggling against his grip as she awkwardly tried to reposition her glasses (at least so they weren't hanging off her ear).

"Yeah, get her!" Cameron cheered his father on, jumping up and down with his fists in the air.

"That's easy for you to say, you don't have someone after you," she replied, and made another futile wriggling attempt.

_Oh, how little you know, Alyssia, how little you know, _Sam thought, feeling her thoughts drift off down memory lane once more.

* * *

_"He'll live. But, Sam, I'm sorry. He was right, I can't mimic what he used on the baby. If you try to have children again, it could kill you. All you can do is name him."_

_"I was serious about calling him Carter," Jack pointed out in his efforts to distract her from the fate of their - her - family's future._

_"Really?" she glanced up at him, and he could see every worry, and every bit of pain that had gathered there. Surely it'd reached breaking point._

_"Really. I mean, look at the benefits. You're a genius, you live longer, and you're not exactly stuck for money."_

_"And what about Cheeky's first name?" Sam fiddled with the blanket around the baby boy in her arms._

_"Let's see, who's male, cheeky, and has the last name Mitchell?" Jack tried a smile. Was she starting to cheer up? Was there any 'cheering up'?_

_"Cam?"_

_"Sure, why not? And look, he might even start to have a similar hair colour," he gestured to the darkened blonde strands on his scalp._

_"Cam it is, then. Cameron Carter... Say hello to Mummy and Daddy, sweetie."_


	3. A Frozen Chick

**A/N: I apologise for the shortness of this chapter, but I have something planned, so I had to cut it off where I did. Enjoy the chapter, and a big thanks to you guys who reviewed. :)**

"Look, I found another!" Alyssia cried, jumping out from amongst the bushes to show off her prize. Jack smiled as he stood behind his daughter, and reached around her. She jumped and dropped the Dairy Milk egg in her hands, the purple and yellow box rolling across the ground.

"Jack!" Sam half-snorted, shaking her head while the pair continued their tickling session. "Come on, you don't have to fight, there's plenty to go around. The Easter Bunny left twenty eggs."

"Generous rabbit," he commented, and then released Alyssia, returning to Sam's side. "Twenty eggs... Does that you're not having any?"

"It won't kill me to have a little less chocolate, will it?"

"What, I didn't..." Jack just stared after her as she followed Cameron carefully with her eyes. He shook off is bewilderment and strode up to her, and grasped her shoulder gently. "What is it? And don't say it's nothing - I might be stupid but I'm _that_ stupid."

"It's silly really. I shouldn't be worrying about it, or anything else. It's Easter," she sighed, seeming as though she was trying to convince herself more than him.

"If you're letting it distract you, it's obviously not silly. Now, come on, tell me," he murmured. They believed their conversation went unheard, while Alyssia was distracted with her latest find and Tara was weaving in and out of the trees, but Cameron was very much aware. Although he was too young to comprehend some of the words that they spoke, he could still make small sections of their talk.

"Mummy. I can't find another egg..." he mumbled, tapping her bare leg. Sam cut off her sentence abruptly and bent down to the little boy's level.

"Well, sweetie, I think there might be one around here somewhere..."

* * *

Tara raced ahead of her siblings, barely grazing the ground as it flew away beneath her feet. It was a beautiful feeling, like flying. Flying and racing were the two things she dreamed of doing, but, for now, she'd settle for finding chocolate eggs and running through the untamed, private woods at the back of her house.

_Not that out street's amazing, but Dad's rich from the 'Air Force'... Is that something to do with wind? _she thought, ceasing her endless sprint for a moment. Just then, she realised that she could no longer hear her siblings' laughter and her parents' chatter. She was alone.

"Daddy? Mummy? Hello?!" the trees echoed her words back to her, and her pulse quickened. In an the world of an eight-year-old, a small patch of forest was an entire jungle. A bird burst from the trees, startling her, its shadow seeming to extend into a ghastly form. Fear peaked within her - her terror unprecedented, even by the frequent occasions on which she was unsure whether 'Mummy would come home'.

* * *

"Sam, where's Tara?" Jack scanned the vicinity.

"I...don't know," Sam bit her lip, voice heavy with concern. She followed her husband's gaze, only to be greeted by blank woodland.

"She went that way," Alyssia pointed into the distance. "She was running, couldn't stop her. Sorry..."

"Don't worry, Al- Jack!" Sam yelled as he dashed in the direction the young girl had been pointing in. "Cam, Lyss, follow me!"

"But I just found another egg!" Cameron whimpered.

"Come on!"

* * *

Tara's lips trembled with sobs, as she wiped a trickle of crimson from the garnet-coloured slit in her leg. The cold bit at her bare arms and legs with the trees concealing the sun. However, the absence of its warmth wasn't entirely responsible for she shivers that bounced along her spine. Her emotions petrified her - fear, loneliness, and helplessness - and conspired to create a lost look in her eyes. They wandered from object to object, looking but not really seeing. Through her numb shield, she barely heard the thud of footsteps when her father raced up to her and swept her up from the ground.

"Tara! Tara!" he pleaded with her. For a moment, time seemed to stretch out, and Sam, Alyssia, and Cameron arrived on the scene. Even Cameron's expression was desperate, as he clung to his mother's leg. Just as Sam looked away, like she'd finally admitted that it wouldn't be a happy Easter (worrying while your daughter's fighting hypothermia is never joyous), the tiny bundle in Jack's arms stirred. A little cough escaped her mouth, and a hand grabbed a fist of his coat. He simply smiled his relief and clutched her close.


	4. Until Next Year

**A/N: This the final chapter, I'm sad to say. :( But a lot happens in this chapter, so I really hope you enjoyed this and I'll hand you over to Sam and Jack now.**

Gradually winding down from the relief of finding Tara well, Sam approached Jack and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned, his second daughter still in his arms?

"Sam," it was an acknowledgement, yet a question at the same time.

"Jack," she responded in an equal tone. Had they been shocked into using only monosyllables? He freed Tara from his embrace and gave Sam a quizzical look. "I'm going back to the house. You know, to get the fire going for the kids. Finish up here, yeah?"

"Woah, woah, wait? What? Sam, she's fine. Aren't you, kiddo?" Jack asked, gesturing to the eight-year-old in question. She slowly nodded and returned to her search. Jack sighed and took hold of Sam's arm as she tried to make her escape. "Look, it can't hurt, just stay. For the kids."

"No, it's alright, enjoy yourself," she patted his hand with her with the one he wasn't holding captive, before tugging at aforementioned arm with a strength that shocked him and returning the way they came. Jack lunged for her for a final time, but she'd already darted off into the forest.

"Mummy!" Cameron whimpered as he reached in her direction, like he was trying to pull her back to him. Jack sighed. Little did he know, his eldest daughter had decided decided there was no time to waste, and sped up to her mother. She seized the woman's hand, pulling her down to a child's size.

"Don't go," Alyssia croaked, a tear in her eye. While its threat to burst forth made Sam's gut twist agonizingly, the pained look in her blue orbs was enough to pull at her heart strings. She knelt in front of the little girl and took both her hands in her own.

"It's okay, sweetie. I'll just be back at home. You can find the rest of the eggs and be back in no time," she smiled. "Mummy's just a bit cold and tired."

"But if you go, it won't be as fun," the little girl pleaded. Behind her, Cameron (who was still clutching his egg basket) and Tara nodded slowly. "Why are you sad, Mummy?"

"Because, I wanted this Easter to be perfect, but it wasn't really... Was it?"

"Nothing's perfect. You said so... Did you lie?" Alyssia bit her lip.

"No, no," Sam soothed, desperate to prove her daughter wrong. "I just wanted you to enjoy yourselves."

"And we will - if you stay! Please! You never leave me when my maths sums go wrong."

"The kid has a point, Sam. Things don't have to be perfect," Jack shrugged. She knelt there for a second as though she was considering whether she should give in. And, he guessed, she must have decided because she stood up once more with a smile that finally reached her eyes.

* * *

"Aah, peace at last," Jack grinned after the doors to the children's bedrooms were closed.

"You're telling me," Sam chuckled, leaning against him. The way she beamed up at him caused something joyous to blossom inside his chest.

_When she's happy, I'm happy? She's turned me into a sap... _he internally shook his head. He pulled her into his arms and returned her bright smile.

"About earlier," before she could interrupt he raised his hand, "I'm sorry for being hard on you. I know what happened with Cam hurt. It's difficult for me too."

"It's not just that, though. Sure, I like seeing what's on the other side of that wormhole but all I've ever wanted is to settle down and have a happy family. Mostly happy family. And that's always getting in the way."

"Blame the IOA! I always do," he tried for a grin and it widened when she's shook her head, that familiar bemused smirk appearing on her lips.

"I knew I married you for a reason."

"Just one reason?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, a million. And I think I just found a new one," she told him. "Egg hunts."

"Well, if it gives you another reason for marrying me, we should do this more often."

"You'll just have to hope for the best..."

* * *

**A/N: Was that ending too cliche? Or cheesey? Let me know! :) Thanks for reading.**


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